


Say You'll Haunt Me

by MeteoraWrites



Series: The Trick To Being Happy [4]
Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Biting, Blow Jobs, Cats, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Kinks, M/M, Men Crying, Nick Clark Can Have Nice Things, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Set after Sleigh Ride, Smut, Swearing, Teasing, Troy Otto Can Have Nice Things, Troy Otto has PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-02-11 06:44:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12929715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeteoraWrites/pseuds/MeteoraWrites
Summary: Having made it to the promised safety of Troy's aunt's house outside of North Bend, Washington, we find Nick, Troy, Alicia and Strand settling in and fixing up things in preparation for winter.Troy still has some issues to work through, but he's got his new family and a home to call his own, so what could possibly go wrong?~~~~~Note: the smut tags are only for the first chapter





	1. Promises Kept

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It begins!  
> Welcome back my loves! I'm very happy to present you with the first smut I've written in, like, a year. I hope you all enjoy it ;)  
> Edit: I was listening to my iPod when I wrote this and Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour came on. For those who don't know, the lead singer wrote it about his wife and how he want's them to be together forever. It made me think of Troy, so it's a bit of the inspiration for this stroy.

Troy awoke to the feel of a slightly chapped pair of lips brushing against his own. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling when a pair of warm brown irises locked with his own blue ones in the low morning light. "Morning." Troy mumbled sleepily before broaching the short distance between himself and Nick to kiss the other man lazily. 

"Morning." Nick parroted, pulling Troy closer so their chests were flush against one another. "Remember that promise I made you in the van a few days ago?" He whispered, eyes showing a mischievous glint as Troy blinked at him owlishly. 

It took a moment for Troy's sleep addled brain to catch up to what Nick was referring to, and with a smirk he pulled away, earning a look of confusion in turn. "I don't know. I think you'll have to refresh my memory." He said before rolling onto his back to stretch languidly, groaning and intentionally letting the blankets fall away from his torso with the action; giving Nick a glimpse of his taut abs as he stretched then relaxed against the bed. 

Nick watched, licking his lips absently as Troy showed off his body. The sight and sound making his cock twitch with interest. They were both already hard from sleep, and while he had first considered letting the other man get some more rest then taking his time with him later, he found himself unable to go back to sleep. Thoughts of Troy's lips and hands and body filling his mind and torturing him to the point of being so hard it hurt. 

"You just going to lay there admiring me, or are you going to do something about this?" Troy asked, voice smooth and eyes sparkling. He kept eye contact as he slid a hand down his chest slowly to disappear under the blanket, stroking himself through the soft cotton of his boxers. His breath hitched in his throat at the spike of pleasure that shot through him as he did so. 

"God, you're a tease." Nick mumbled quickly before lurching forward to capture Troy's lips in a fierce kiss. One arm moving above Troy's head to brace himself as the other moved to throw the blanket back, hand finding Troy's after and brushing it aside before cupping his erection through the thin fabric covering it and giving a squeeze. 

Troy gasped into the kiss, one hand grabbing hold of Nick's forearm and the other clutching at the sheets as the younger man started to stroke him slowly. "Fuck!" He panted, trying to resist the urge to buck his hips. It had been a while since he'd gotten off. Even longer since another person had touched him, and fuck did it feel good. Even with the layer of fabric that separated their skin. 

Nick hummed in approval at Troy's reaction, moving from his mouth to kiss along his jaw towards his ear. "You like that?" He asked, voice a little rough. He continued to slowly move his hand up and down Troy's length a few more times before dipping lower to cup and roll his balls. 

Troy nodded, his eyes slipping closed of their own volition. "Y-yeah... S'good." He said breathily, tilting his head to the right to give Nick better room to work his mouth. 

With a smile Nick continued towards the dip just below Troy's ear, stopping there a moment to suck at the sensitive skin, earning a gasp in response. Pleased, he moved lower, sucking and kissing a line down to where neck meets shoulder. His hand continued slowly stroking Troy the entire time, nice and slow. 

Troy did his best to hold still as he let Nick explore, every muscle in his body begging him to move, take control, give back the kind of attention he was getting. But Nick had said before that Troy would get his turn once he was done with him. So, he resisted the urge to flip them both and pin the smaller man to the bed. Instead he focused on the feel of Nick's lips and hand as he gasped and twitched with every brush of lips and stroke of his hand. 

Upon reaching the crook of Troy's neck, Nick smiled wickedly before sucking at the spot a moment, earning a gasp, then a moan as he bit down hard enough to leave a bruise in his wake.  

Troy's whole body jerked at the feel of Nick's teeth on his skin, hips bucking and back arching at the jolt of pain and rush of pleasure that it sent shooting down his spine and straight to his cock. "Fuck! D-do that again." He said, gasping loudly when Nick did as he asked before sinking lower to kiss a line down his chest. 

Much to Troy's protest, Nick pulled his hand away from his cock then, bringing it to rest on his hip before sliding up along his side to tease at his right nipple as his mouth found the left one.  

"What are you-Ah!" Troy started to ask, both hands flying to Nick's head where they tangled in his hair as the other man sucked and played with his nipples mercilessly. After a moment he started to squirm under the attention, his cock twitching at the little jolts of pleasure he felt with every new use of Nick's mouth and hand. 

Nick hummed, grinning when the vibration made Troy's breath hitch. "You doing okay up there?" He asked, tone teasing before he swirled his tongue around the hardened nub before him one last time. A beat later he was sliding to over to the other one and starting the process all over again, his right hand coming down to play with the nipple he had just finished assaulting with his mouth. 

"Peachy." Troy panted, pulling Nick's hair sharply and grinning at the moan it elicited in turn. 

"Save it for when I've got your dick in my mouth." Nick rasped, smiling at the groan that earned him.  

"You're gonna kill me." Troy said, head falling back against the pillow as he tried to get his breathing at least a little under control. 

"Nah." Nick said before starting to kiss his way down the plain of Troy's abs. "Bet I can make you see stars, though." He joked before lifting himself up and sliding his hands down Troy's sides to hook his fingers into the waistband of his boxers. 

Troy let his hands fall back to his sides and raised his hips a bit, watched with rapt attention as Nick started to slide his boxers off his hips. A moment later his erection sprung free and he could practically see Nick's pupils dilate in the low light at the sight of it. "Like what you see, Nicky?" He asked, smirking up at the hungry look he received. 

Without a word Nick push Troy's legs open once they were free of his boxers and he climbed between them, leaning forward on his forearms and knees as he licked a stripe up the underside of Troy's slightly curved cock.  

Troy let his hands come to tangle in Nick's hair again, groaning at the feel of wet heat as Nick licked him from base to tip again before taking the head of his cock into his mouth and sucking lightly. "Fuck! Nick!" He said with a sharp gasp. 

Nick hummed in response, moving his mouth up and down slowly at first to give Troy, as well as himself, time to adjust. Troy was well endowed, and if he didn't take his time he would end up either choking or with a major jaw ache later.  

With a groan Troy tightened his hold on Nick's hair, hips twitching in little aborted movements as he tried not to buck up with every side of Nick's mouth or every twist of his tongue. 

At the feel of Troy's hands tightening in his hair Nick got an idea. After taking a breath through his nose and relaxing his throat he took him deep, the head of Troy's cock brushing the back of his throat before he swallowed around it. 

Troy practically curled in on himself at that, gasping and pulling Nick's hair before arching back with a low moan. "Fuck! Nick!" 

Nick continued his slow pace for a while, occasionally deep throating Troy and earning a sharp pull to his hair that made his cock throb and leak more precum, creating a decent sized wet spot on his boxers. As Troy slowly came undone Nick started to speed up, reveling in every gasp and grunted curse that spilled from the older man's lips. 

Troy could feel himself getting close, heat pooling in the pit of his stomach and all of his muscles tensing with every little jolt of pleasure he felt. He felt like his veins were on fire with it, spreading fast and taking him over.  

At some point Nick had added a hand to the mix, stroke the parts of Troy that weren't being stimulated by his mouth,. His grip was so tight and wet and Troy wasn't sure he could take much more.  

"Nick... I'm... I'm gonna..." He barely managed to say, clenching his teeth and pulling Nick's hair as the younger man deep throated him again. 

Swallowing hard, Nick then hummed in acknowledgment of Troy's words. He could tell Troy was going to cum soon just from the way he was moving and breathing. His hips twitching and cock pulsing against Nick's tongue as he worked him over. A moment later Troy was cuming down his throat with a strangled groan and a death grip on Nick's hair that made him moan in turn. 

A few beats later Troy's whole body went slack against the bed, his chest heaving as he gasped in great breaths of air like a man who'd nearly drowned. He opened his eyes slowly, vision a little spotty from the force of his orgasm. "Fuck..." He breathed, loosening his grip on Nick's hair then letting his hands fall to his sides. 

Nick pulled off of him with a wet pop, grinning at how utterly wrecked Troy looked. His body glistening with sweat in the low light that filtered in from the window to the right of the bed, chest heaving as he got his breathing under control slowly. "Damn, you look amazing like this." Nick said before coming up to kiss Troy again. 

Troy hummed happily against Nick's lips, noting that he could taste himself when their tongues met. It wasn't a bad taste. As they continued to kiss, Troy brought his hands up to hold the sides of Nick's face, thumbs stroking at his cheeks a moment before he slid them down to wrap around the smaller man's frame. 

Before Nick knew what was happening, Troy had his arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him close before he hitched a leg up and flipped them both over so that Troy was now straddling his lap. They landed with a surprised grunt coming from Nick, to which Troy just grinned wickedly before kissing him again, his teeth coming in to play as well as his tongue now. 

A moment later Troy was mirroring Nick's moves from before, letting his lips and teeth drag along the skin of Nick's jaw as he made his way to the other man's neck. "I've been dying to know how you taste for weeks." He practically purred into Nick's ear, earning a shiver from the younger man.  

"That so?" Nick asked, gasping when Troy nipped at his earlobe sharply. 

"Mmhm. Ever since that night you came hunting and had me pinned beneath you." Troy hummed before sucking a dark spot into Nick's neck that had the younger man practically writhing beneath him. He continued to lick and suck marks along his neck down to his collarbone, only stopping now and then to bite and blow lightly at the marks he had created, earning a litany of noises and shivers from Nick. "Better than I imagined." He said, breath hot against Nicks throat. 

"Fuck. I should have known that silver tongue of yours would carry over into the bedroom." Nick groaned, Troy's words going straight to his aching cock and making it throb, his hands grabbing hold of Troy's shoulders.  

He wanted to push Troy down, get that wicked mouth where he really wanted it, but he also wanted to see what else Troy would do to lead up to the main event, so he settled for one hand gripping a shoulder while the other tangled in Troy's hair where he lazily scratched at his scalp with blunt nails. 

Troy worked his way lower, sucking more marks into Nick's chest and marveling at the shade of red they took against his almond toned skin. He paused at a nipple, blowing on it lightly and watching the small bud harden before attacking it with his mouth.  

Nick gasped and arched his back at that, body twitching at the scrape of teeth and swirl of tongue before Troy pulled away and moved to give the other nipple the same treatment. His movement were all strong and calculating where Nick's had been slow and teasing. It amused Nick greatly because he really expected nothing less from the man.  

When Troy finished with Nick's nipple he blew on it gently, grinning at the shiver that rippled through the younger man's body in response. "Don't be afraid to tell me what you want, alright?" He said, voice a little cocky as he looked up to make eye contact. 

Nick just grinned at that, remembering Troy said he had a praise kink. "You're doing so good." He said, running his fingers through Troy's hair. "Keep going, I'll let you know if I like it or not." 

Troy smiled broadly at that before turning his head to nip at Nick's wrist. His teeth brushed the sensitive skin over Nick's pulse point and he kissed the same spot before turning back to lick and suck his way lower. He sunk down until he reached the waistband of Nick's boxers. He pushed himself up onto his elbows then, hooking his fingers under the edge of the material and pulling them down just far enough to free Nick's erection from its cloth prison. 

Groaning at the sight of it, Troy licked his lips then looked up to meet Nick's gaze again. "You bastard, you didn't tell me you're not circumcised." He said, bringing a hand to give Nick's cock a few experimental strokes. 

Nick just chuckled before gasping at the feel of skin on skin. "Sorry, never really been something I think to mention in everyday conversation." He said lightly before gasping again at Troy's hand began twisting and working him in different ways, learning the all ways his foreskin moved. "I take it you're cool with it?" He asked, voice a bit rough. 

Troy snorted at that. "Not like there's anything I could do about it if I wasn't." He said before licking a stripe up the underside of Nick's cock, just like Nick had done to him before. The action earned a hitched breath from Nick, who tightened his grip on Troy's hair a bit. 

"Asshole." Nick snarked, spreading his legs a little and bringing his other hand up to tangle in the man's light brown hair. 

"If you want me to rim you, you'll have to ask nicer than that." Troy quipped before taking the head of Nick's cock into his mouth and sucking lightly, tip of his tongue swiping at the slit to taste the precum that had been beading there. 

Nick just groaned and let his head fall back, too worked up to be sassy at the moment. Especially now that Troy's mouth was on him. "Fuck! Just keep doing what you're doing." He panted, fingers rubbing at Troy's scalp lightly as the other man began to experimentally move his mouth up and down slowly. "Take it slow, don't do anything you're not comfortable with. You're doing amazing." 

Troy listened to Nick's instructions and praise, keeping his pace slow and not trying to take more than a mouthful. When Nick had deep throated him before it had felt amazing, but he knew there was no way he could do something like that on his first try. So, he opted to make use of his hand, coming almost all the way off Nick's cock before wrapping his hand around and sliding it down so it would collect some of his saliva and made the strokes smoother. 

"Using some of my own tricks against me?" Nick said with a breathless chuckle before groaning and using a hand to brush Troy's bangs away from his face. He had his eyes closed as he moved, brows knit together in concentration as he experimentally worked his tongue and sped up just a little. 

Troy hummed in response to Nick's words, mentally patting himself on the back for the shiver it elicited from Nick. He opened his eyes after a moment, looking up to find Nick watching him, eyes dark and mouth open as he gasped and panted. If he wasn't already sucked the man's cock he would gladly be licking his abs right now. They were ridged and Nick's breathing was becoming more labored as he further tensed. 

Swirling his tongue around the head of Nicks cock, Troy took note of the way Nick's eyes practically rolled back in his head at the simple action. Bobbing back down to take more of him into his mouth, he let his tongue dance along the thick vein that ran up the underside on his way back up and tried not to grin at the moan it earned him. 

"I'm close... Fuck... Troy... Keep doing that, you're doing so good." Nick praised in between moans and gasps, running his hands through Troy's hair and doing his best to keep looking down at him despite the urge to close his eyes and be completely lost in the moment. 

Troy hummed happily at the praise, not at all surprised when that sent Nick spiraling over the edge. All at once his body locked up, back arching and hands pulling at Troy's hair as he panted sharply. Troy swallowed down every drop of Nick's release, marveling at the taste and the way his cock pulsed against his tongue. When he was sure Nick was spent he slid off of him, pulling his underwear back up over him gently before moving to lay on his side beside him. 

It took Nick a few moments to come back to himself. When he finally opened his eyes he just blinked up at the ceiling dumbly before turning to face Troy, who had pulled his boxers back on and pulled the blanket up over the both of them to mid torso. 

"Hey." Troy said softly, smiling over at Nick. 

"Hey." Nick said with a smile of his own. "That, was awesome." He added before bringing a hand up to cup Troy's cheek as he leaned in to kiss him. 

Troy returned the kiss, pulling away sooner than Nick would have liked to stifle a yawn. "We should go back to sleep. It's too damn early." 

"Yeah, I second that. Sleep sounds great right now." Nick agreed, scooching closer so he and Troy could fall asleep in a tangle of limbs just as they had the night before. It took mere moments for them to both drift back off, both wearing sated smiles even in their sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how'd I do? There will be more smut eventually, as well as a healthy (or not) dose of domestic fluff and some bumps and twists along the way. I look forward to hearing from you all and we'll see you next chapter.


	2. Planning Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have a surprise at the end of the chapter thanks to the awesome [Reisar](http://reisar.tumblr.com/) and I can't wait for you all to see it.

Nick was the first of them to wake later in the morning. This time to the sound of someone shuffling about down stairs loudly. He cracked his eyes open slowly, finding the room brighter than before, but everything still looking gray from the heavy rain storm still raging on outside. With a yawn he turned his head to look at Troy.

Troy was laying on his back now, one leg sticking out from under the blanket to dangle off the edge of the bed, and an arm slung over his face to cover his eyes as he snored softly. Even with his arm blocking a good part of his face, Nick could see that the last of the swelling beside his eye was finally gone and there was only a yellowing shadow of a bruise left on his face. He looked content, and the sight of him like this made Nick smile. 

Moving slowly, Nick slid out from under the blanket and made his way over to the box of clothes he had set by beside the bedroom door the day before. He pulled out a clean black t-shirt, a pair of jeans that were only a little baggy on him, and a pair of socks. Dressing quickly. he slipped out of the room without waking Troy before heading down stairs to see what all the racket was.

Following the source of the noise down stairs, Nick found himself padding into the kitchen, where Strand and Alicia were sorting contents out of boxes of supplies that look identical to the ones that had been in the pantry at the ranch. "What's all this?" He asked, scratching at the back of his had with one hand while he pointed back and forth between the two open boxes with the other.

Alicia and Strand both glanced over at him, Strand going back to taking cans out of one box and lining them up on the counter. 

Alicia turned and leaned against the counter with a smile. "Look who's finally up." She said before turning back to her box. "We got these out of the basement. There's enough food down there to feed a small army." 

"Yeah? You got a plan for all this food, or are you just taking inventory?" Nick asked, coming to lean against the counter beside his sister and eye the labels of the cans that were already set out.

"We pulled the boxes with the earliest expiration dates and now we're seeing what we have to work with for meals. It'll be at least a few weeks before the green house will start producing anything, so for now this is what we have to work with." Alicia explained with a shrug, taking the last of the cans from her box and setting them out on the counter.

Strand hummed from his spot on the opposite side of Alicia. "Between this and the dry ingredients we have to work with, we can stand to be a bit creative with our meal options. I can easily turn the canned chicken stew into chicken pot pie to stretch resources a little. Or I could make dumplings to go with it." He said, picking up one of the cans in question and examining the ingredients list on the back.

"I wonder how much longer it'll be until the storm breaks and the solar panels will start working?" Nick mused as he looked out the window that sat behind the kitchen sink. It was lighter out than he had expected, but still raining and dreary enough that the panels weren't generating any electricity.

"Couple hours, tops. Storm's moving away from us now." Came Troy's voice from the doorway of the kitchen. He was leaned against the frame, his blue long-sleeved shirt only half buttoned and hanging untucked over his cargo pants and his hair a mess of bedhead curls. "Did you guys bring up any of the coffee when you were checking out our supply situation? We can make it on the wood stove out in the garage." He said with a yawn before finally stepping into the kitchen to inspect the contents of the counter.

"Why is there a wood stove in the garage anyway?" Alicia asked as she set her now empty box on the floor.

"My aunt would make maple syrup out there. Why do you think the smell is stronger in that side of the house." Troy said with a shrug before turning to go reactive the obviously forgotten coffee from the basement.

Nick followed after, smiling at the realization that Troy was walking around the cold house barefoot. "So how do you make maple syrup anyway?" He asked, because if Troy's aunt could do it, maybe they could too.

"You collect sap form the trees then boil it down. It takes a long time and you have to skim the impurities and curd off the top while it's boiling, but it's not that hard." Troy explained as they made their way to the stairs that led to the basement. "It'll be a few months before we can give making our own a shot though. Gotta wait for spring when the tree's start to thaw."

"Oh." Nick said, blinking at that information. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Have coffee and check out what condition the wall around the property is in." Troy said as he opened the door that hid the stairs to the basement and squinted down into the darkness. "Might wanna stay up here, I'll just be a second." He said, giving Nick a smile before stepping down into the moderate darkness.

Nick watched him go with a snort. "Afraid I'll trip in the dark and kill us both?" Nick joked.

A moment later there was the sound of shuffling cans and then Troy was appearing back out the dark doorway with a decent sized can of coffee tucked under one arm. "Nah. The shelf's right next to the stairs. Not much point in us both going when I only needed to go down half way." He explained as he led the way back into the kitchen to grab a kettle and the camp coffee pot.

Alicia and Strand were putting the different cans into cupboards when the two reentered the room, neither stopping in their work at the sound of footsteps.

"Have you two eaten yet?" Troy asked, handing the can of coffee grounds to Nick before he walked over to grab the coffee pot out of the box of their supplies from the trip up. 

"Yeah, we got a fire going in the living room fireplace and made some oatmeal." Alicia said. "We saved you some. It's still keeping warm out there."

"Thanks." Nick said as he walked over and grabbed the kettle that he'd spotted on the back of the stove the other day. "Back in a bit." He said, waving the empty kettle with one hand as he turned to follow Troy out into the garage.

Troy was already in the garage by the time Nick caught up to him. He'd set the coffee pot on a wooden table that sat against the left wall and was over grabbing a few pieces of wood from the pile that lined the right side of the room.

"Aren't you cold?" Nick asked, watching Troy putter around barefoot with his shirt still unbuttoned. 

Troy snorted at that. "It's in the 50's out. You spent too much time in the desert, Nicky."

Nick rolled his eyes, trying not to smile at Troy's justification. "How do you even know what the temperature is?"

"The kitchen window has a thermometer stuck to it. You were standing right next to it." Troy explained as he stuffed a few pieces of wood into the wood stove and grabbed a box of matches from a little drawer in the table.

"Oh." Nick said dumbly. "And here I was hoping that magic collarbone of yours could do other tricks." He joked as he watched Troy get the stove going and empty half a jug of water into the kettle before setting it on top.

Troy just snored a laugh and shook his head before smiling at Nick. "Yeah, sorry, it's kind of a one trick pony. But at least we'll always have a heads up when there's a storm coming." He said lightly as he stood and stretched his arms above his head.

"So," Nick said, stepping into Troy's personal space to wrap his arms around the older man as he stretched. "how'd you sleep?"

Troy's smile turned into a grin as he let his arms fall from above his head to rest atop Nick's shoulders, hands dangling behind his back. "Good, you?"

"Great. We definitely need to do that again at some point." Nick said as he leaned in a bit.

Troy leaned in as well, their foreheads touching as they looked each other in the eyes. "Which part, the sleeping in a real bed with a fire going to keep us warm, or the mutual blowjobs." He said with a surprisingly straight face.

"Both, obviously." Nick said with a laugh before leaning in to plant a quick kiss on Troy's lips. When he pulled away Troy had a slight pout at the shortness of the kiss. "I'm gonna go grab breakfast, you take care of the coffee." He said before slipping out of Troy's grip and turned to go back into the main part of the house.

Troy watched him go with a shake of his head. "I want cinnamon in mine! There's some in the kitchen cabinets over the stove!" He called after, earning an excited noise from Nick at the word that there was something to add to the otherwise bland oatmeal.

By the time Nick was walking in with two bowls in hand, the kettle had already boiled and Troy was pouring the heated water into the coffee pot to start steeping through.

"Took you long enough." Troy said as he finished pouring the water and set the kettle aside on the table. "Was starting to think you went all the way to Sri Lanka to get the cinnamon." He said as he took one of the bowls from Nick and gave the contents a stir to mix in the cinnamon that was sprinkled on top.

"Sri Lanka?" Nick asked, one eyebrow raised and leaning against the edge of the table, looking from Troy to the brewing coffee.

"It's where the majority of the worlds cinnamon grows." Troy said before taking a bite of his breakfast. "I had to do a report on it as a kid." He added around another mouthful of oatmeal.

"How do you even remember that?" Nick asked before taking a bite of his own food.

Troy shrugged and swallowed another bite before answering. "I dunno, I just do." He said easily before checking the pot to see if it was done dripping. After stuffing another spoonful in his mouth, he picked up the pot and motioned for Nick to follow him back inside. 

By the time they had all finished their coffee the storm had finally broke. The clouds hadn't cleared up yet, but the winds had calmed and Troy was able to go outside and survey the wall and such for any damage. 

Nick and Alicia were in the kitchen attempting to clean the dishes from breakfast when they heard Troy cursing up a storm from the backyard. A moment later he was sticking his head in through the back door with a look of utter annoyance on his face.

"Some of the solar panels are cracked from a tree branch hitting them. I need to go up and disconnect them from the others." He said, frustration clear on his face.

"Need some help?" Nick asked, setting the bowl he was trying to scrape bits of oatmeal off of into the sink with the rest of their dishes.

Troy nodded "Can you meet me in the garage? I need a hand with the ladder."

"You good?" Nick asked Alicia who just waved a hand at him before hip-checking him out of the way of the sink. Nick rolled his eyes at his little sister before going to throw on his coat and shoes then heading for the garage.

When he got there Troy was already standing there with side door to the garage open so they could carry out the extension ladder that he had already removed from the wall.

"I got the tool box out already, but I need you to hold the ladder steady while I climb up." Troy explained as hoisted up one end of the ladder as Nick lifted the other.

"Isn't it too wet out to be climbing onto the roof?" Nick asked, as they maneuvered the ladder out of the garage and around the back corner of the house to be walked around the green house and garden shed.

"Probably, but I wanna get those panels disconnected now. They have a failsafe built in so they won't try to produce power if they take damage, but I'd rather not risk it. If the whole thing fries then we're screwed." He explained as they made their way to the far corner of the house where the control panel from the other day was located.

"How many panels are damaged?" Nick asked, now seeing the tree branches on the found along the side of the house that hadn't been there the day before.

"At least the three end ones. I couldn't get a good look when I was walking the perimeter." Troy explained as they got the ladder vertical and he started to pull the cord to extend it to be tall enough for him to get on the roof.

"How many panels are up there anyway?" Nick asked as he helped get the ladder settled against the side of the house and then watched Troy grab a few tools out of the shiny red tool box that was sitting next to the open panel on the side of the house.

"Twenty. House this size could have gotten by with fifteen, but big Otto insisted on an extra five to make sure aunt Esther had backups." Troy explained as he stuffed a few tools into his jacket pockets before going and planting a foot on the bottom rung on the ladder. "

"Sounds smart given our current situation." Nick said as he moved around to stand on the underside of the ladder and hold it steady. 

Troy just shook his head before making his way up the ladder. Once he was off Nick moved around to watch him as best he could from further back in the yard.

"How's it looking?" Nick shouted up.

"Good. It's just the three that are damaged. Shouldn't take me long to get 'em unhooked." Troy shouted back.

Nick listened to the odd clink of tools and the occasional curse from the older man as he worked. As he waited the cloud cover started to dissipate and about fifteen minutes later Troy reappeared looking down over the edge of the roof with a grin. "Flip the breaker on the panel box for me!" He shouted down.

Nick blinked up at Troy before going to the box and flipping the breaker on the side. A moment later there was a slight hum and a green LED lit up on the side of the box. "There's a green light. What's that mean?" Nick shouted up.

"It means were generating power!" Troy shouted back. "Hold the ladder, I'm coming down."

Nick did as asked, holding the ladder steady as Troy made his way down. "Now what?" He asked once Troy was safely on the ground.

"Now we put these tools away and start working out a plan to prep for the winter." Troy said as he put the few tools he'd needed back into the toolbox and closed it with a solid thud. With that they got everything out away and they did just that. 

The rest of the day was spent replacing any burned out light bulbs around the house, cleaning dust off the electric heaters, and drawing out plans for what they would grow in the green house and eventually the garden when springtime came. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the lovely piece of art above is from the beginning of the final chapter of An Evolution Overdue. I really hope you all like it because i freaking love it!


	3. From The Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter did not go the direction I originally thought it would. I hope you all enjoy it.

Troy awoke to an empty bed and cold sheets. He blinked over at the space Nick had been occupying when they went to bed last night, wondering what he was up to before he checked the time on his watch. It was just after 9am.

With a yawn he forced himself to sit up, fighting the urge to crawl back under the blankets at the feel of cold air hitting his bare torso. The had gotten the electric heat up and running, but they forgot to turn it up to a reasonable temperature before bed it seemed.

Pulling one of the blankets around him like a cloak, Troy climbed out of bed and walked over to take a look out the window beside the fireplace that faced the back yard. It was still a bit cloudy, but not so much so that the solar panels wouldn't be generating electricity. 

Continuing to look outside he hadn't really expected to see anything out of the ordinary. He was wrong though. Nick was outside. And not only was he outside, but he was on the ladder, which was currently propped up against the side of the green house. He had a screwdriver in hand and was in the process of replacing a cracked pane that would let cold air inside and undoubtedly kill anything they tried to plant.

Troy opened the window before leaning on the sill to support himself as he poked his head out. "What are you doing?"

"Well I was trying to get this done before you woke up." Nick said with a smirk as he looked over at Troy. "But clearly I wasn't fast enough." He said with a grunt as he got the panel free and began to carefully pull it out of its framing. Once it was free he handed it down to someone out of sight (Strand), who then handed him one of the spares they had found in the basement.

"I would have done that." Troy said, pulling the blanket around himself tighter as a breeze picked up, ruffling his hair slightly as it sent a chill over his skin.

"Yeah, but I wanted to do something for you." Nick said, face scrunched in concentration as he placed the pane and got the screws into position. "You fixed the solar panels and you're going to be doing most of the farming to start out. This is the least I can do." He said as he started to fasten the pane in place. 

"How do you know how to do all that anyway?" Troy asked, squinting out at the younger man.

"My dad was a construction worker. He took me to work with him on some small jobs over the summer when I was growing up. I was a better construction worker at thirteen than half the guys on his crew were in their twenties and thirties." Nick boasted as he got the last screw in place. He grinned up at Troy then.

"In that case you're in charge of any repairs we need from now on." He said with a smile before moving out of the window and closing it before Nick could say anything else. 

With a shiver Troy made his way over to the dresser and pulled out a shirt and pair of pants. He dressed quickly before heading down stairs to fiddle with the settings on the heat and check if the water tank was up to temp yet. He would kill for a hot shower right now and even after a few hours of time to heat up the water was only lukewarm when he checked before bed.

As Troy rounded the corner into the living room he found Alicia seated on the couch with a large photo album in her lap, she was smiling as she looked down at the open pages. Daisy was curled up on the back of the couch behind her, purring loud enough to be heard across the room.

"What've you got there?" Troy asked, pausing mid step to stop and stare at the brunette.

"Hm? Oh, photo album. It was in a box in the library. There's some pictures of you and Jake in here." She said, patting the seat beside her in invitation and moving over a little to make sure he had enough room.

"Really?" Troy asked, coming to sit beside Alicia and look down at the open book in her lap. Sure enough the page she was open to had a few pictures of himself and Jake when they were young. Young enough that he didn't remember them ever being taken.

The first picture on the page was of Jake and Troy playing in the garden out back. Jake was holding a fist full of carrots, his grin missing two bottom teeth and he faced the camera proudly. Troy was sitting on the ground beside him, holding a single carrot up with a big toothy grin of his own. Underneath the pictures in their aunts careful printed writing it read 'Jake – age 9 Troy –age 4 Helping auntie with the harvest'.

Troy looked over the rest of the pictures carefully, trying to wrack his brain for any memory of these visits. He could only remember coming here a few times before his mother had gotten sick and his father said he needed to focus on the cause of the ranch.

Suddenly Alicia was holding his hand where it gripped a page too tightly. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked softly, making him look up from the page to her concerned face.

"I don't remember any of this..." He admitted, voice a bit rough with emotion. "I remember coming up to visit when I was older, but only a few times..."

"You were young, Troy, it's understandable you wouldn't remember every visit." 

Troy shook his head, swallowing hard as he tapped at one picture of himself on his aunt's lap as they made maple candy. "I was eight years old here. I don't remember this at all, Alicia. Shouldn't I remember something that only happened 14 years ago?" He asked, finding himself suddenly very upset that he didn't remember the events the pictures showed.

"Hey," Alicia said, closing the album and setting it aside before taking both of Troy's hands in her own. "Mom told me some of what you went through growing up. Jeremiah told her when we first came to the ranch. It's understandable to block things out given the kind of childhood you had." She assured, giving his hands a squeeze.

Troy blinked down at their hands, not sure how to respond to the fact that Madison had known anything about his childhood or the fact that she told Alicia. "How much do you know..." He asked, trying to force himself to be calm.

"I know your parents both drank... That your mom locked you in the basement... And that they pulled you out of school to do whatever Jeremiah wanted. I'm sorry, Troy. I really am... No one should have to grow up like that." Alicia said softly as she rubbed Troy's hands reassuringly.

A broken laugh escaped Troy's lips. "You know, I knew they treated me and Jake different. After a while I was okay with it, because he was better than me. He was a better son than I ever was. No matter what I did I wasn't good like he was." He rambled, tears coming to his eyes as he looked down at his and Alicia's hands.

"That shouldn't have mattered. Troy, you were just a kid. It was their job to raise you and take care of you. You didn't deserve to be abused because you weren't like Jake." Alicia argued, letting go of Troy's hands.

Before Troy knew what was happening Alicia had her arms around Troy's shoulders in a tight hug. He sat there, stock still and holding his breath as tears started to run down his cheeks of their own accord. When she didn't let go or show any signs of doing so any time soon Troy slowly raised his arms up and wrapped them around her smaller frame, pulling her close as he tried to stop crying.

"Troy, if you hold back it's just going to make it worse. It's okay, you don't have to play tough around me. I know how strong you are. Crying doesn't change that." She mumbled into his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze.

Troy's breath hitched a moment, more tears quickly coming to his eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd buried his face in her shoulder and started to really cry. Sobs shook his frame, making him feel like he was going to crumble apart from the intensity of the situation.

Alicia brought a hand up to run through Troy's hair while the other rubbed at his back. "It's gonna be okay." She said softly. "You've got us now. You hear me? No more abuse, no more manipulation. We're your family now."

Troy only cried harder at her words, his grip tightening as he sobbed openly.

When he didn't say anything back Alicia pried Troy away from her shoulder and held his face between her hands so he was looking her in the eye. "Troy, I need to know you're really hearing me. I know you consider us family, but I want you to really understand that we will never treat you like your old one did. Okay?" She said slowly, keeping her green eyes locked with his glassy blue ones the entire time.

"Yeah, I hear you..." He said with a nod after taking a few shaky breaths to calm himself. 

Alicia smiled at that and pulled him into another hug, both her hands rubbing at his back now. They stayed like that a few minutes. Troy sniffling against her shoulder and Alicia just holding him and occasionally running a gentle hand up and down his back.

When Troy felt like he had pulled himself back together he pulled away from Alicia and gave her an almost sheepish smile. "Sorry about that..." He mumbled.

"Hey, never apologize for showing how you feel. Alright?" Alicia assured, one hand rubbing had his arm before she moved to stand. "I'm going to go make some tea. You want a cup?"

Troy shook his head no. "Gonna go check the water heater. I need a shower." He said before forcing himself to stand and turning to continue his trek to the basement.

"Alright, let me know if it's hot enough. I could use a shower too." She said as she watched him go.

Troy waved a hand in acknowledgment as he walked out the door that led to the little hall between the living room and library. He didn't trust his voice to cooperate completely at the moment, so he didn't speak. He felt so drained and wrung out that he was honestly amazed he was able to move at the moment.

Once he was out of view he let out another shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself further. He needed to pull it together. He really didn't want to feel like this. Like he was one big raw nerve. He honest to god almost missed how he was before. Not feeling much of anything was better than breaking down crying every other day and feeling like you're broken.

With a quick shake of his head he continued on down to the basement. The readout on the water tank said it was hot enough, and everything seemed to be working right with the houses heating system as well as the water filtration system. So, he turned off the lights and headed back upstairs.

"Water's hot enough that everyone can shower now." He called into the kitchen before heading up stairs without waiting for a response. He really just wanted to go stand under the hot spray and try not to think any more.

It didn't take long to find the box with all the towels in one of the vacant bedrooms, he put a few in both of the upstairs bathrooms before entering the one beside his and Nick's bedroom and closing the door behind him with a soft click.

He got the water running, wincing at the squeal of the pipes as they filled with water for the first time in about a year. A moment later there was a sputter followed by a cascade of blissfully hot water from the shower head. He tested the temp with his hand before adjusting the knob then stripping out of his clothes and leaving them in a pile by the door.

Troy let out a moan as soon as he stepped under the hot spray. Sure, they had makeshift showers back in the village, and it hadn't been that long since the ranch, but he'd seriously missed the feel of a real hot shower with actual water pressure. It was one of the few thing's he enjoyed besides music.

It only took him a few minutes to get washed up, and once he was finished he was done he just stood facing away from the spray so it cascaded down his back and over his shoulders. Between the heat and the pressure of the water, Troy could feel the tensed and knotted muscles start to relax for the first time in god knows how long.

Not long into zoning out under the hot water the sound of the door opening slowly drew Troy out of his mild trance. He reached out, pulling the edge of the curtain open enough to see Nick peeking in at him from around the edge of the door.

"Want some company?" Nick asked with a grin.

Troy gave a lazy smile and in return and just let his hand drop away from the curtain. He turned and ducked his head under the spray a moment before stepping back and waiting for Nick to join him. He listened to the sound of shuffling clothes a moment before the curtain pushed back and the younger man stepped into the shower and under the hot spray.

Nick smiled at Troy as he took a moment to let the hot water run over himself, getting his hair thoroughly wetted down along with the rest of him before he reached out and hooked his arms loosely around Troy's waist and pulling him close. "You doing okay? Alicia told me about the photo album." He asked softly, looking Troy in the eyes.

Troy sighed and let his forehead come to rest against Nick's, his arms slipping around the younger man's frame as he answered. "I know I've got a lot of shit wrong with me. Just never really realized how much."

Nick snorted at that. "Trust me, I get it. I blocked out so much shit from my childhood. Good and bad."

"That doesn't bother you?" Troy asked, pulling him closer so their bodies were pressed together from the chest down as they stood under the spray of the shower.

"It used to. After a while I just sort of accepted it. If I remember someday, then cool. If not, I'm not gonna sweat it." He said with a small shrug. "Besides, we can make new memories together."

Troy found himself smiling at Nick's word. "Yeah, we can." He agreed before leaning in and kissing Nick softly. He could feel Nick smiling against his lips as he returned the kiss. It made his chest feel light, like he hadn't been crying twenty minutes ago and wishing things in his life and been even just a little different.

They stayed like that for a while. Wrapped around each other and trading sweet kisses. When the water started to cool, Troy helped Nick get washed up before they toweled each other off and got dressed. The rest of the day was spent together, cleaning the greenhouse and getting it ready for them to start growing food. 

The best part of it all was thanks to all of that cleaning and digging in the dirt they had an excuse to take another shower together before bed that night. They went to sleep, both freshly showered, warm and content wrapped in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I admit, I spent a ridiculously long time debating about how the shower scene should go. In the end I went with the more intimate option. Because, yeah, shower sex is great, but I think after feeling so emotionally drained and raw Troy would be in a space where he just wanted to feel close to Nick. And sex doesn't necessarily mean closeness.


	4. Have Faith in Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SOOOOOOO sorry it's taken me so long to write this. I'm horrible. Please forgive me.  
> This chapter isn't my best work. It's filler and fluff. I hope you can forgive me. The next ones will be better, I promise.

Three days later found Nick and Troy wandering around the old trails that led up the side of the mountain. It was about midday, the temperature surprisingly warm for early November and making for a pleasant atmosphere in the otherwise dreary fall setting. 

They had been hiking since just after breakfast. Nick had felt restless and Troy figured this was the perfect chance to explore since they had gotten the greenhouse up and running with everything planted and ready to go for the coming winter.

Both men paused mid step at the sound of a twig breaking somewhere to the left of them. Looking over they spotted a doe maybe thirty feet into the tree line, sniffing around the forest floor in search of something to eat.

"Well, there's something we never had in L.A..." Nick murmured, watching the doe find a small leafy green plant and begin to nibble at it delicately.

Troy chuckled softly at that. "Yeah, there was always a big deer population 'round here. Assuming the dead don't come up through and scare them all off we can go hunting and get a decent supply of fresh meat for the winter." Troy mused, grabbing Nick's right hand and lacing their fingers together as he started to lead the way back down the trail that would take them home.

"Won't shooting at deer just draw the dead up anyway?" Nick speculated as they walked along the crunchy leaf coated trail.

"It would. That's why we're gonna go into town first and hit up the sporting goods store. Might be a bow and arrows left if we're lucky." Troy explained with a cocky smirk. He hadn't been bow hunting in ages, but it would be the best way to bag a few deer without drawing the attention of any walkers that might be wandering nearby.

Nick shook his head at that, an amused smile overtaking his features. "Alright, you want to go after we get back to the house?"

"Why the rush?" Troy asked, blinking over at Nick.

Nick just shrugged. "No rush, I just want to go explore some more. We've been here almost a week and this is the first time we've really gone out. I'm not ready to be done for the day and stay home yet."

Troy gave Nick's hand a squeeze, smiling at Nick calling the house 'home'. "We'll just go back long enough to grab a bite and grab the truck then. Might need it. And I get wanting to get out while we can. Once winter hits we're gonna be cooped up for a while."

"I hadn't even thought of that..." Nick mumbled, mostly to himself. "Hey, does the town have a video store?"

Troy hummed in thought a moment, trying to recall before answering. "Yeah, it has one. Has a music store and a library too. I think there might also be an electronics place and a pawn shop. I don't really remember."

"Good. We're raiding the video and music store while we're out. I intend to put that tv in the living room to good use if we're going to be snowed in all winter." Nick said with a resolute nod as he started to walk a bit faster. Excited to go see what the two of them could find.

Troy huffed a laugh and let go of Nick's hand before breaking into a jog. "Well, alright then, let's get moving!" He called out as he turned to jog backwards a moment and give Nick a smile. "Come on, we're burning daylight!" He said with another laugh before turning back around and going from a jog to a sprint. It wasn't that far to the house, and he knew Nick could run at least that far without issue.

With a roll of his eyes Nick took off after Troy, keeping pace with him all the way back to the house.

After a quick lunch they made sure they both had a knife and a full clip in their guns before hopping in the truck and making the short drive down the mountain. They took their time, driving in a zigzag through the neighborhood that Troy had spoken of before driving the short distance to the main part of the town. Main street was in surprisingly good condition compared to other towns they'd been though. Most of the buildings looked untouched, like people had just packed up and left instead of trying to hold up like other towns had.

"This place is kind of creepy." Nick commented as he scanned over the eerily empty storefronts as they drove past slowly.

Troy snorted a laugh. "The whole world is kind of creepy, what with the dead up and walking around and all."

"Fair point." Nick agreed as he relaxed back into his seat. "Seriously, though. There's hardly any cars, and most of the stores look like they weren't looted. Where do you think everyone went?" Nick asked, letting his forehead rest against the cool glass of his window as he continued to scan the desolate storefronts.

"They probably evacuated when the cities got firebombed. We're close enough to Seattle that they would have seen the smoke, maybe even heard the explosions. Probably thought the fires would work their way east and take out the town." Troy speculated. He slowed the truck further, pulling to a stop out front of a single-story building with large glass windows and a sign that read 'Eli's Sporting Goods' above the door.

The store looked mostly untouched. Sunlight shined through the massive windows of the storefront and illuminated the shelves and aisles that appeared to still have more items than not.

"Ready?" Troy asked, killing the engine and moving to open his door.

"Always." Nick said, already hopping out of his own door.

They took a few minutes to circle the building and check for unlocked doors and any signs of walkers before letting themselves in the back.

The stock room was well lit, high windows letting in the early afternoon sunlight to illuminate the still reasonably stocked shelves.

Troy let out a low whistle of appreciation at the boxes of ammo and other odds and ends. "We hit the jackpot, Nicky." He said with a grin.

Nick was already stuffing a duffle bag with ammo. "We should have brought the van instead of the truck." He commented, grinning as he continued to gather ammo into his bag.

Troy chuckled at that, shaking his head fondly before turning and making his way over to the door the separated the stock room from the sales floor. The door swung open without so much as a creek. After taking a look to make sure the coast was clear, Troy stepped out and began surveying the shelves. A number of rifles and other items were gone, but there was still half a dozen firearms as well as three bows and enough ammo to last quite a while.

Troy picked up a compound bow, testing the weight and pull of the string before shouldering the weapon and starting to stuff arrows into his own duffle.

It took about an hour to clear everything useful out of the store, all weapons and other random odds and ends being placed in the back of the truck neatly.

Once they were done there they made their way two streets over to find the strip mall that house the video and music stores.

"This place looks like a real winner." Nick commented dryly as he took in the cracked pavement and the faded signs atop the building. Two of the malls five store fronts were empty, and from the looks of the layer of dust inside they had been for at least a few years.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to go on this little field trip." Troy pointed out as he gave the door of the video store a shake. When it didn't budge he heaved a sigh and turned to walk around the back of the building.

Nick followed after him, smiling a little. "Don't act like you're not dying to rebuild your CD collection." He countered as he grabbed an abandoned shopping cart and started to push it behind Troy.

"I am, but hitting up the video store is all you. I'm not big on tv and movies in all honesty." Troy commented as he led the way around the side of the building to the set of back doors that served as employee entrances. 

"If you don't like movies why check out the store with me?" Nick asked, a little confused.

"I'd do anything for you, Nicky. Thought that was obvious. And besides, I'm sure the others would appreciate us coming back with more entertainment options to help get us through the winter than my aunts library and her rinky-dink collection of rom-coms and westerns." Troy explained easily, giving Nick a smile as he pried open the clearly broken back door of the video store and held it open for Nick to take the first glance inside.

"You're oddly thoughtful for a psychopath." Nick teased as he took a look though the open door.

Troy rolled his eyes at that remark. "Thought you said I wasn't a psychopath thanks of my new found ability to give a damn."

"Eh, whatever." Nick said with a dismissive wave of his free hand before stepping into the small back room.

Troy followed after. As with the sporting goods store they found no walkers stumbling around, so after a quick sweep, they brought the shopping cart inside and began throwing in movies and tv series that Nick said were either good or looked good. They also snagged the DVD player that was hooked up behind the counter and all of the candy and popcorn packets that were kicking around.

They emptied the carts contents into the back of the truck before taking it over to the music store next. The front door was unlocked, which made the two men trade looks of concern before both drawing a weapon and banging on the window to get the attention of any dead inside.

Sure enough, there was a single walker waiting in the back room/employee lounge when they made their way inside. It was an older man, maybe in his 40's, that had hung them self; his corpse snarling and flailing to get them from where it hung from an exposed beam in the dank room.

Troy distracted it while Nick went up behind and took care of it, stabbing the dead man in the back of the head quickly to put a stop the to awful sounds it made as he tried to grab hold of Troy.

After that the mood was a bit more somber. Neither of them really joking or talking much until Troy noticed that Nick was carrying a stack of Rise Against CD's, the CD's he was missing from his collection to be exact. That made the older man smile.

"Decide you like my taste in music after all?" He asked, grinning at the face Nick made in response.

"Shut up. They make you happy, of course I'm going to grab them for you." He grumbled, tossing the CD's in the cart before turning to find some music he liked for himself along with dumping the entirety of the stores supply of batteries and headphones into the cart as well. He also threw in a couple portable players in the mix. When Troy raised a brow at him he just shrugged. "Thing's break. Might as well get extras."

"You turning into some kind of hoarder on me, Nicky?" Troy asked with a chuckle.

"It's the apocalypse, everyone's a hoarder if they want to live." Nick countered with a smile before wandering down another aisle to collect more CD's.

It was almost sunset by the time they were done and had everything loaded into the truck to take home. The drive was nice, the amber glow of the setting sun casting soft shadows on the world as the boys made their way home. Nick drove, and Troy found himself watching the play of shadows the light created on Nick's face. He could watch Nick for hours. That thought unsettled him a little, but not as much as he thought it would.

The thought of being so comfortable with another person should scare Troy more than it does. He never felt so comfortable or safe with anyone. Before, he would have been the one taking lead on everything, he would have been the one making decisions and going in first to check for danger. But with Nick he felt like he could hold back, wait and let him take a turn at being the lead. He trusted Nick with his life and to make the right call when it mattered.

"You keep staring at me like that and I'm gonna break-check you." Nick joked, giving that small sly smile of his as he glanced over at Troy before looking back to the road. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Troy snorted a laugh. "It's nothing. Just watching the shadows."

"Your lips say it's nothing but the look on your face say's you're overthinking." Nick said, raising a hand from the wheel just long enough to poke Troy in the side before putting it back. "Spill."

Troy felt caught off guard, not really surprised that Nick knew him well enough already to tell that but surprised to be called out on it. "I feel safe with you." Troy mumbled.

"Yeah?" Nick asked. When Troy nodded he spoke again. "Okay, so why does that thought have you looking like you're trying to unlock one of the great mysteries of life?"

Troy blinked, trying to think how to word what he wanted to say. He felt unprepared for this kind of conversation. "It scares me... A bit. I'm not used to letting someone else take lead like I do with you. I've been in charge of people since I was seventeen; when my father put me in charge of the militia. I've never trusted anyone the way I trust you." He admitted, feeling like he was sharing some deep dark secret. "The only people above me were my father and sometimes Jake. But that was different. With you it's different. I trusted them because I had to... With you... I just trust you..."

"Maybe because you know my intentions are good?" Nick asked.

Troy nodded, swallowing thickly then licking his lips before he spoke again. "Maybe. I don't know. I'm just sayin' that's what I was thinking. That it kind of scares me how I feel with you. But in a good way."

"I feel the same." Nick said, hand falling from the wheel to take one of Troy's like he had done several times on their drive north on days ago. 

The last few minutes of the drive were short and sweet as the sun faded out behind the mountains and cast them into twilight. The others were waiting for them as they pulled up in front of the house, raving about how good a haul they found and how they should all go out tomorrow with both vehicles to see what other things they could find.

The rest of the night was spent in the living room watching movies. Nick and Troy watching curled up on the couch together as Alicia and Strand watched from their respective plush arm chairs. Alicia went to bed first and took Daisy with her. Then Nick and Troy turned in, leaving Strand to watch the last half of Gone With The Wind by himself with a smile on his face.

The two helped each other undress before falling into bed, tangled together both fell asleep before either could think to say goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept getting stuck while writing this. I wanted there to be more to it, but it ended up being this. On the bright side I figured out the end of the story (it's still several chapters away) and I got a better outline drawn up for the rest. So yay!  
> And for anyone who doesn't know, break-checking someone is when you slam on the breaks to make people not paying attention jerk forward and get yanked by their seatbelt. It's a good way to be an asshole to your friends. Also hurts like hell.


	5. Divide and Conquer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Again I don't really care for this chapter, it's got some moments I'm like yeah this is good so I'm hoping you all enjoy it for those bits at least.

Troy awoke laying on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow and a solid warm weight on his back that was undoubtedly Nick. Turning his head slightly his belief was confirmed. Nick was plastered to Troy's back, his cheek resting against Troy's shoulder, mouth slightly agape as he breathed shallowly in sleep. He had one arm wrapped around Troy's waist, a leg thrown over one of Troy's, and his torso pressed tightly to Troy's back. There was hardly any of them that wasn't touching each other like this, and it made Troy feel safe and content in a way he still wasn't quite used to.

He stayed still a while, watching Nick sleep in the low morning light, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched Nick's eyes finally flutter open and blink lazily a few times before focusing on him. "Mornin', sunshine." Troy muttered, tone soft but teasing as he smiled up at Nick from his place beneath him.

Nick snorted a laugh at the mock endearment. "Morning." He replied blearily before pushing himself off of Troy's back and rolling onto his own with a yawn, taking the blankets and all the warmth Troy was basking in with him.

"Any idea how you ended up using me as a body pillow?" Troy asked, twisting his body around so he could face Nick while remaining sprawled on his stomach.

"You were having a bad dream. Went to whisper in your ear that it was okay an' it's just a dream and you settled down when I leaned over you, so I stayed there." Nick explained with a sleepy smile. "It was kind of sweet actually. You snuggled back against me and grabbed my arm so I couldn't move."

Troy rolled his eyes, but a fond smile formed on his lips nonetheless. "Thanks. I don't even remember having a nightmare." He said before leaning over to press a soft kiss to Nick's lips.

Nick leaned in as well, humming happily and returning the short kiss before pushing himself up to sitting. "I think it was just the beginning of one. I woke up to you muttering and twitching around." He explained before stretching his arms above his head and letting out another yawn. "You ready to spend the day scavenging?"

Troy rolled onto his back and took a moment to enjoy a nice fully body stretch before pushing himself up to sit as well. "Yeah. I was thinkin' we should start with the neighborhood at the base of the mountain and work our way into town. Go street by street." Troy explained as he watched Nick climb out of bed and head over to the dresser they shared to search for something to wear for the day.

"Sounds like a good plan. You said there's maps of the town in the library, right?" Nick asked as he pulled a soft looking navy blue t-shirt from the middle drawer and started to pull it over his head.

"Should be. Last I knew Esther kept them in the left bottom drawer of the desk down there. I don't think Jake bothered to pack them when he packed the books up. At least one of them should be of North Bend. Might even be one of the neighborhood down the mountain from when Esther lived down there while this house was being built back in the 80's. Pretty sure she was in the neighborhood watch back then." Troy explained as he ran a hand through the tangles of his hair and winced as a knot snagged on his finger. He should really cut his hair.

"Cool, I'll go dig the maps out if you go start breakfast?" Nick suggested as he slipped into a pair of cargo pants that belonged to Troy, they only hung a little loose on his slightly smaller hips.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Coffee and grits? I can get out some of that shelf stable cheese we found and mix it in?" Troy countered as he finally dragged himself out of bed and made his way over to stand with Nick in front of their dresser. He grabbed the first shirt he saw, a dark gray button up, and a pair of blue jeans and started to dress.

"That actually doesn't sound terrible." Nick agreed before giving Troy a quick kiss on the lips while the other man was distracted with the buttons of his shirt. "Meet you in the kitchen." He said before heading out of the bedroom.

Troy shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he finished dressing.

Strand and Alicia had woken to the smell of coffee and breakfast cooking. They wandered down one after the other just in time for the grits to be finished and the whole group ate around a spread-out map of the neighborhood where they would be starting their day's exploration. 

They made a plan to clear the houses in groups of two. Take out any dead they find and then drag them out to be burned in the street later. The smoke might draw more of the dead, but it was better to be rid of them sooner than later. Especially if any of them ever needs to hold up in one of the houses for a while. Nobody wants to be stuck in an enclosed space with a rotten corpse.

The plan would take a while to pull off, possibly weeks if they continued following it into town. But it was the best way to make sure they didn't miss anything useful. A slow building by building search was the best course of action in the long run if they didn't want to miss out on something vital.

Nick and Troy took the van while Strand and Alicia took the truck. They made their way down to the first street a little after 9AM.

"So, we check in with each other after every house." Troy began reiterating the agreed upon plan of attack for the day as they readied to being. "Once you know the house is clear take note of what we might need in the future. Write down what large appliances they have that we can pull parts from if needed in the future. Any food that's still good gets brought back today, along with medical supplies and anything else you think is vital. Today is about essentials, not creature comforts. There'll be time to come back for non-essentials later on. It's not like they're goin' anywhere." Troy reminded as they all checked their ammo and made sure their duffle bags and backpacks didn't have holes in them.

"Got it." Alicia confirmed, slipping her gun into her waistband.

Strand nodded and looked towards the first house on the left side of the street. He and Alicia were taking the even numbered houses, Nick and Troy taking the odd ones. Each team had a notebook where they would make the address, and the important details. Like if the doors were broken and if they had anything useful that was too big to take back but could be gutting later for parts.

Nick hummed his understanding of the plan as he looked over his knife before looking to the house on the right side of the street that he and Troy would be searching. "You think there'll be many dead for us to deal with?" He mused. The street looked mostly abandoned. There was a single car in sight and most of the houses had open, empty garages. Some homes even had their front doors wide open like the occupants left in quite the hurry.

"Your guess is as good as mine on this one. The town was definitely evacuated. But that doesn't mean everyone left when the call went out." Troy said as he scratched at his jaw idly. "Everybody ready?" He asked.

Everyone confirmed they were ready and that they made their wait into the first two houses.

The first house Nick and Troy had to search was a cozy looking ranch style home. A single floor with a small basement. Two bedrooms, a living room, an office, a kitchen and a bathroom along with the garage. All showed signs of the occupants packing in a hurry. There were few photos left hanging on the wall, but a surpassing amount of food and clothes left behind.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Nick commented as he rifled through the medicine cabinet and picked out the few bottles of meds left behind. There was some good stuff, but also some expired meds that were useless at this point. "Going through people's things. Looking for something that might be useful to us. It feels like grave robbing almost..."

Troy blinked over at Nick from his place in the hall, he'd been going through the cleaning supplies in the closet across from the open bathroom door. "I suppose that's one way to see it." He said before turning back to the task at hand. 

"Yeah? How do you see it?" Nick asked as he threw the few good bottles of meds into his back pack. Some tylenol and other odds and ends. A box of band aids and some burn cream that were still good as well.

"I see it as redistributing resources. When people die their families take things with meaning and use and give what doesn't have meaning or use to them away, or if it's junk it gets thrown out. But, if someone were to die without any family or friends to do that the government or bank or whoever would step in and sell off what they can and donate or toss the rest. We're like the latter. We're just coming in and finding what can still be used and making sure it doesn't go to waste." Troy explained as he continued to eye the various bottles and containers one by one before either putting them back on the shelf or into a box he'd found by the garage door on their initial sweep of the house.

"Your ability to find logic in all things is a little unsettling sometimes." Nick said with a shake of his head before closing the medicine cabinet and crouching to look in the cabinet beneath the sink. "But I like that. It makes this all seem... Less unsettling? Morbid? Less like we're doing something we shouldn't."

"One of us has to be the logical one." Troy said matter-o-factly before turning his head and grinning at Nick's look of annoyance. "You have your moments, don't get me wrong. But your brand of logic balances mine out, I think." Troy added as he closed the closet door and pulled the notebook they were using for data collection from his pocket. "It complements mine, fill's in the holes I miss, and vice versa."

Nick snorted a laugh at that. "Yeah? I guess. Think we're ready to move to the next house?" He asked as he shouldered his backpack and moved to join Troy in the hallway while the other man made his notes about the house.

"Yeah." Troy agreed while still totally focused on his notes and making no move to press on with their day.

Nick just picked up the box of supplies Troy had gathered and held it in one arm while grabbing Troy by one of the belt loops on the front of his pants and slowly pulling him along towards the front door. "Come on, we've got more houses to ransack. Get a move on."

"Yes, dear." Troy said thoughtfully with a small nod before closing the notebook and grinning at the heavy sigh and eye roll he received in response form Nick. That set the tone for the day. A slow easy search ending with the lot of them heading back home with full vehicles and a full two streets finished out of dozens. It would be slow going, but it was a good way to fill their time for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So whats up? How's everyone doing? Like the chapter? I swear this is going somewhere lol


	6. Just Might See a Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack! This one had me stuck for ages and I apologize. I've been having a lot of problems writing my longer stories but I'm slowly working past those bits of writers block. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to see what you think.

The blaring pulse of an alarm broke the silence close to dawn a few days later, sending everyone up and scrambling out of their beds unceremoniously. They all stumbled into the hallway in a flurry of quickly thrown on clothes and sleep mussed hair.

“WHAT IN HELL IS THAT!” Strand shouted as he covered his ears, trying to block out the constant high pitched EEEE EEEEE EEEEE sound that was filling the house and surely carrying outside to attract any dead in the area to their home.

“SOMEONE ENTERED THE WRONG CODES INTO THE MAIN GATE!” Troy shouted back, already making a b-line for the stairs with a semi-automatic rifle in hand. Nick was close behind carrying a shotgun in one hand while he held up his hastily pulled on, but not buttoned, jeans with the other.

Both Strand and Alicia went back into their rooms to grab their own weapons and follow suit.

“SHUT OFF THAT ALARM! CODES 6679!” Troy shouted to Nick even as he rushed to the front door and pulled the decorative blind aside to get a clear look outside. 

Nick nodded and did as told, entering the code into the little white box beside the front door and bringing the alarm to a quick halt.

Outside, visible through the bars of the front gate, was what appeared to be a small caravan comprised of a camper, a jeep, and two pickup trucks. They were parked not far from the gate, and the occupants appeared to have all cleared out. A cluster of men standing at the gate, all with guns, and all looking baffled by the sudden silence that had fallen.

“Shit.” Troy uttered before holding up a hand as a sign for the others to hang back as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Stay here.”

“What! No, Troy-” Nick started, but was quickly shot down.

“I know those people, STAY HERE!” he commanded, tone stern and icy; the likes of which Nick hadn’t heard from Troy since back at the ranch.

Nick, Alicia and Strand hung back and watched anxiously with guns at the ready as Troy opened the front door and slowly stepped out, weapon slung by its strap over his shoulder as he held up both hands in front of him and stepped out into the early morning haze.

It was a bit foggy, cold, and just bright enough to make it easy to recognize the man leading the group of outsiders from a distance. The one who entered the codes that had probably been the ones Troy programmed in when he installed the damn system years ago. Lucky Troy had changed the code the day after they got there.

“Troy? Troy Otto. That you boy?” Called the man standing at the forefront of the group. He was older. Late fifties. With salt and pepper gray/black hair, a bit of stubble to match, and green eyes that sat among hard lines of a weathered face. “Boy, it is good to see you. When your daddy stopped radioing updates I thought for sure you’d all been lost.”

Troy swallowed hard at the mention of his father and let his hands drop to his sides as he approached the gate, stopping roughly ten feet away. “Yeah, Walter, it’s me. Big Otto’s dead. The natives demanded his head. Some people on the ranch felt inclined to give it to them to spare the rest of our lives.” Troy said, watching the older man carefully.

“Well, damn. That is a shame. I’m awful sorry to hear that. Step closer, boy, I ain’t gonna bite. Let me get a look at you. Haven’t see you in what, three years?” Walter mused, a hand coming up to scratch at his jaw absently as he tried to remember the last time he’d seen Troy. “You’ve grown into quite the man since then. Though I’m guessing from those scars you’ve had a rough go of it in the meantime.”

Troy stepped closer, trying not to look effected by the older mans scrutiny or comments on his appearance. He felt like his skin was crawling. He’d never liked Walker. The man was just as abusive as his parents, but he wasn’t one to care if others saw his handy work. He’d hit Troy once right in front of the whole ranch for not remembering to bring him a damn cup of coffee. Gave him a split lip. And people wondered why Troy would rather drink tea. 

“Five. It’s been five years. You came to my mother’s funeral. Ain’t seen you since you moved up to Montana to start your own ranch a couple days later. I take it from your being here that somethings happened.” Troy wagered, trying to sound casual despite the way his heart was picking up pace. He did -not- like this. Not one bit...

“And I take it from -your- being here that something happened to Brokejaw. Was it the natives? Or the dead?” Walter asked, giving Troy an almost sad look.

“Mix of both.” Troy said with a shrug, a twinge of guilt at his own part of the mess working its way into that storm of feelings in his chest. He ignored it, pushed it down because while he promised Nick he’d roll with his feelings, this wasn’t the place to do so. He needed to be on guard. “What brings you and your men here, Walter.” Troy asked as he put his hands on his hips and looked over their group. He recognized two of the men, both having left Brokejaw with Walter to start up the other ranch. The others were young, new, probably not part of the militia from their uneasy way of holding their weapons.

“Now don’t be rude, boy. We’re practically family. How many people you got here? Can’t be many, I only see two vehicles. Maybe we can share the place? Start up our own little community.” Walter suggested kindly, smiling an ugly tobacco tar stained smile at Troy through the bars of the gate.

Troy eyed the older man warily a moment before answering, slow and careful. “No, thank you, sir.” He took a calming breath through his nose before continuing. “I got just enough space and supplies here for my family, and with what we’ve been through to get here I don’t think any of us are up for company any time soon. Practically family or not.”

A couple of men in the group started muttering amongst themselves, fidgeting with the grip on their guns, and were quickly silenced with a glare from Walter. “That’s a real shame.” The older man said as he turned back to Troy. “Why don’t you take some time to think it over. Talk it out with your people.” He said with a nod towards the house. “We’ll head back down the mountain and stay in the town a spell while you make up your mind.” 

Troy firmly shook his head at the offer, his arms crossing over his chest. “I don’t need to talk it out with anyone, Walt. This is our home and we aren’t going to share it. I think it’d be in everyone’s best interest if you all just moved on. Rest in town a day if you need, but I don’t want to see you up here again.”

Walter cracked another smile at Troy’s words and hard expression. ”You know, you look just like your daddy when you talk to people like that. Think it over, Troy. I’ll see you later.” He said before turning with a wave and yelling at his men to get back in their vehicles and head for town.

Troy fought back the urge to scream at being compared to his father and watched them drive away silently before turning back to the house to find Nick, Alicia and Strand standing on the front porch with their guns at the ready and hard looks on their faces. He wasn’t sure how long they had been standing there, but it made him breathe a sigh of relief knowing they had his back even after he told them to stay away.

“Friends of yours?” Nick asked as Troy walked up to the porch, looking past him to the main gate.

“Friends of my father. Son of a bitch wants to share the house, ‘be a community’. Told him to move along, but I don’t think he’s gonna give up on the notion so easy.” Troy said with a shake of his head before running a hand through his hair. “His ranch had just as many people as ours. Either he has more people waiting further down the mountain, or something happened to their community...” He trailed off, the storm of feelings in his chest growing stronger. He felt anxious. Worried. He didn’t like this at all. ”I don’t trust him.” He added before pushing past the others to head inside.

“So, what are we going to do? If they have a whole ranch worth of people we won’t stand a chance if they want to take this place.” Alicia asked as she clicked the safety on her gun back on and turned to follow Troy inside.

“If it’s just the seven of them with those low power rifles and pistols, then we don’t have much to worry about.” Victor noted as he turned to go inside as well. “Between the walls and our collection of weapons we stand a good chance.”

“They’d have to be in a real bad way for that to be all they have weapon or people wise.” Troy countered. “Their ranch was just as well stocked as ours was. I’d say better even, but we got lucky when the depot was abandoned and found a stock of automatic weapons that had been left behind.” He explained as he came inside and took a seat at the kitchen table while the others filtered in behind, all setting their weapons down in various places.

Nick came to sit beside Troy, putting a hand over the other man’s where he was tapping his fingers on the table in front of him in an anxious staccato. “Maybe we should consider letting them stay. Not here, obviously, but in the town?” He suggested.

Troy snorted an indignant laugh at that. “Walter wants the house. He wants the solar panels and bunker. The green house. The food stores and supplies. The walls.” he explained with a shake of his head, his hand turning over to grab Nick’s where it rested over his. “He isn’t gonna settle for anything in town when there’s a better option within reach. He’s entitled. Greedy. Probably think’s because he was on the crew that helped build the walls that he deserves a piece of this place for his trouble.” 

“What makes you so sure of all this?” Alicia asked from where she was stood by the stove. Strand beside her getting out the things he needed to make coffee.

“You saw how bad my father could be. Walt is worse.” Troy said simply.

“Alright, well, if he comes back we’ll just have to make it clear he isn’t welcome.” Nick said, giving Troy’s hand a squeeze before lacing their fingers together.

“I don’t suppose you could fill me in a bit here.” Strand interjected. “I’ve heard next to nothing on the subject of the former Mr. Otto. I’d appreciate some context as to how this ‘Walt’ could be worse.”

“What exactly have Nick and Alicia told you?” Troy asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair a bit.

“That he was a drunken racist and an abuser. No real details though. I thought it best to get them from you if you felt so inclined as to share.” Strand said honestly before turning back to finish prepping the coffee maker they’d scavenged from one of the nicer homes in town.

“He was a fear monger. He made his living off selling doomsday survivalist videos and a line of supplies to go along with them. Survival guides, MRE’s and the like. He let his followers move onto the ranch in trade for their bringing their own supplies in to help the community and agreed to work for him and guard the ranch with their lives. Anybody who wasn’t white was turned away at the gate and told if they tried to come back they’d be shot for trespassing. Only white Americans were allowed. Anybody else wasn’t to be trusted. Ever. And if you said or did anything out of line he wasn’t afraid to make an example out of you.” Troy explained, tone going cold again. A distant look in his eyes as he thought back on how his father could be.

Nick gave Troy’s hand a squeeze, rubbing the back with his thumb as he listened and waited for Troy to continue.

“This one girl,” He began, pausing to lick his lips and shift in his seat a little, his gaze dropping to his and Nick’s joined hands. “Emily, she was a year younger than me. Sweet girl. She got caught sneaking off the ranch at night to meet up with this boy she was seeing in secret from the reservation. My father dragged her up in front of the whole community the next day. Called her a whore and told her family they had to send her away or they could all pack their shit and leave. He even slapped her when she called him a monster for trying to control her. Nobody did a damn thing.”

Clearing his throat against a lump that was forming, Troy continued, squeezing Nick’s hand when the younger man gave him a sad look. “The militia found her dead the next day. We assumed she was going to run off with her boyfriend, that she’d gotten turned around tripped and fallen down a gulch not far from the ranch. Split her skull on a rock along the way. The police ruled the death an accident.”

The group listened to Troy’s tale, Alicia and Strand leaning against the kitchen counter and Nick by Troy’s side all the while. Their expressions growing grave as the story went on.

“I’m assuming there’s more to it than that.” Strand said after a moment of silence.

Troy nodded, looking up to lock eyes with the older man. “That night, I’d had trouble sleeping and got up to get a drink of water. I overheard Walt and big Otto talking in the living room. Walt said he’d caught Emily trying to run away. Said she was going to go to the police and have them come raid the ranch. He cracked her too hard in the head with the butt of his rifle and threw her down the gulch to cover it up. Said he didn’t want to kill her but he didn’t want the ranch to suffer for her stupidity either so he wasn’t broke up about how it went down. That was when my father decided Walt was ready to start his own ranch and be a leader of his own community.”

“How long ago was this?” Nick asked, his face a mix of disgust and unease.

“Bout six years. It took about a year to get the property set up, he left about a year later. From what I heard he didn’t get any kinder in that time.” 

“Alright. Well. We’ll just have to make it clear he isn’t taking our home and he isn’t welcome in town either.” Alicia said with a resolute nod before turning around and starting to pull some boxes from the cupboard to get started on breakfast for them all. 

Strand his agreement but otherwise said nothing.

Nick gave Troy’s hand a squeeze before letting go and getting up to walk out of the room. Going to find the notebook that contained their list of supplies, guns, and ammunition. They needed to know what they had to work with. What they had to fight with if they refused to go peacefully.

Troy cracked a smile. “Yeah, I guess we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for an easy life of domestic bliss ;) 
> 
> PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK! I MISS HEARING FROM YOU!

**Author's Note:**

> Like my work? Swing by [My Tumblr](https://meteora-writes.tumblr.com/ask) with a request/prompt?  
> 


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